Putting the C in HR

The answer, to what is expected from the ideal HR team, can fill up a book. In today's context, when the human component of any organisation is the only differentiator and the one most impacted by technological and digital disruption- the role of HR is becoming increasingly critical.

As I think about all of the things we have to do as the custodians of culture, as champions of employees and as enablers of business strategy, one word keeps coming to me again and again...’COURAGE’.

HR has to have the COURAGE to

C - to have Common sense and do the simple things right

O - to be Open - that's how we establish trust

U - to Upskill ourselves and understand more - about business, about HR, about what makes us human

R - to Reduce the “busyness”- do fewer activities, delegate, automate - do only what adds real value and impact

A - to use Analytics - numbers speak the truth, measure everything

G - to Go the whole way - take accountability and see things through

E- to Ethics – be the conscience-keeper of the organisation

Common sense - doing the right things in HR is not about superior IQ or knowledge...we are all born with the wiring required to interact with other people... At the root of it, all humans are very simple and they need the same things - respect, recognition, and connection... just use your common sense and do what it takes to give your people those things. Challenge traditional policies and structures and processes... begin with a ‘yes’ and then make it happen. The most powerful innovations come from common sense and the urge to simplify.

Openness - to establish yourself as a true business partner, you need to be trustworthy. As you establish reliability and credibility, you also need to establish connect and emotional intimacy. For that open yourself up and build those relationships of mutual respect and trust. Openness necessarily requires self-awareness and empathy – the courage to acknowledge who I am and bring the same understanding to every interaction.

Upskill – ‘Sharpening the saw’ takes a lot of effort, but do it. Learn at every opportunity. Invest in your development. Understand the market, the business, the clients, the HR advances and continue to grow.

Reduce - Don't judge yourself by the number of mails you respond to or how many fires you douse... or the exhaustion you feel at the end of each day. Work smart and evaluate yourself on how you are adding value. Eliminate or automate all the tasks you can. Focus on things that require your humanness- ethics, empathy, and innovation. This automatically needs courage because more evolved skills are required to work a level higher than ‘busyness’.

Analytics and metrics - have the guts to put a stake in the ground and be measured against black and white outcomes. As a support function, you have to sell your ideas to your stakeholders who ultimately take a lot of the decisions that impact talent and culture... have the courage to use numbers to sell what you believe in.

Go the whole way - there are two essential elements here – taking accountability and then seeing it through, using every tool in your repertoire. You are the employee champion and the face of HR, your role doesn't end until it's all done. Forwarding the mail to the ‘concerned department’ or saying that policy doesn't allow it is not the end of your responsibility. Have the courage to see things through by influencing the concerned people who have to deliver. This might also involve using a skill which I find is not used by many of us – Escalation. This has become a bad word and many people take it as a personal failure if they are unable to resolve things at their own level. This is not so. Escalation can be your friend. While it is difficult to go over the head of colleagues whom you have to work with day in and day out, remember you are accountable to larger organisational outcomes. Use escalation wisely to ensure solutions are being found and larger good is not jeopardised in order to protect your relationships. And the reverse applies too... be professional when escalated upon - view the escalations as opportunities to solve rather than taking them personally.

Ethics - no conversation about the role of HR is complete without talking about Ethics and Values. We are the custodians of the culture, we are the sounding boards for business stakeholders and we are the conscience keeper. Never compromise on personal ethics or on company values. Always do the right thing – and that takes a lot of courage and a lot of clarity – because many a times things come dressed in grey!

As business models evolve, talent demographics change, the shape of jobs and work will morph to include bots and gigs... the Human Resources function in the organisation has to help talent and leadership navigate the change with large amounts of COURAGE. It will never go out of fashion!